Category: Opinion

In the Westphalian city of Münster, Germany, there is a small watch manufacturer - MeisterSinger. They are best known for their single-hand watches which are based on the idea of the very old watches with only one hand and antique solar watches. From the MeisterSinger Collection, I really like the Pangaea Day/Date. These watches have not only the charm of the single hand pieces but they are also really practical thanks to the day and date display. My favourite one from the Pangaea Collection is the reference PDD908 with a sunburst blue dial. I love the whole dial of this one with its white printed indexes and Arabic numerals. It really gives a nice contrast and a perfect visibility of all the informations. Interesting thing about this piece is that the date ring turns clockwise and the day…

These are turbulent times for watch brands. Breitling and Maurice Lacroix are up for sale, Technotime, and Pequignet were forced to close their doors, and ETA is raising prices because quite a few brands canceled their orders for next year. Depressing news in general, but especially when you just invested your hard earned money in finally founding your very own microbrand. Time to worry? Yes and no. I would be lying if I said that this was the best time to start your own microbrand, but I believe it is not the worst time either. As a micro brand you have some advantages that larger and more established brands don't have, and when you flex those muscles with some sense, you might get far. Be Focused When the time arrives…

It is a question that I have asked over the past few years to many different CEO's: Your brand recently won award X, how important is this? The answers that I got were different but usually contained the same message: they were humbled by the honor, and it did help them to distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace. Of course, not all awards are created equal. Some are limited to the watch industry, often organized by a magazine or a blog. It's giving the winning watch exposure to a crowd that already knew of its existence. That does not mean that they are of less importance. They often confirm the excellence of the watch, either when the title is awarded by an expert panel or the public. That can renew…

Recently I have seen quite a few very promising watch models by not reaching their crowd funding thresholds. The reason why? Marketing. With the micro brand cosmos filling rapidly up with new stars, you are not automatically the brightest anymore just by being there. You will need to actively pursuit customers, and here are a few tips: Marketing starts before almost anything else Most micro brands treat marketing like an afterthought. When they have received the first prototypes they start thinking of how they are actually going to sell them. You'll be surprised how often that answer is "Kickstarter", but crowdfunding websites are a sales channel, can be part of your marketing but is by no means an all-in-one marketing solution. Marketing starts with analyzing the marketplace, preferably before you…

There is no doubt that the watch world as we know and love it, is in great distress. In true Swiss fashion, this is not being discussed much, probably afraid to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. The fact of the matter is that we are already there. This became very publicly clear last week when quartz movement manufacture ISASWISS announced that it would close its doors. Next to this company, many other smaller suppliers closed their doors as well. [caption id="attachment_1922" align="aligncenter" width="900"] In a sad turn of events, ISASWISS is closing its doors[/caption] This is not only hurting the Swiss watch industry, but also the existing micro brands. Although the Swiss watch industry has for sure become more open to new entrepreneurs who want to start a watch brand,…

Micro brands have slowly, yet steadily eating up market share in the affordable watch market. They have become a respected alternative to the established brands, but there are a few things that are good to realize before you actually buy a watch from a micro brand. Scams are rare and can be avoided Most micro brands either sell through their own website or through a crowd funding page like of Indiegogo. In either case, you probably end up buying a watch you have never seen before in real life, and you part with the money before it is even being delivered. Although scams happen, they are quite rare, and you can build in a bit safety by doing your due diligence. First of all, most micro brand owners are known…

Every week several new watches are launched on crowd funding websites. Often they are being introduced by a micro-brand that is less then a year old, and this is probably their first product. When you have already started your journey as a micro-brand owner, good for you, for people looking to start, here are a few tips: 1. You are not alone!! The world is not waiting for your watch, in fact, we don't even need your watch! You are going to create something that will enter a market place that already has too many offerings, and that market place is even a shrinking as we speak! Sounds mean? Yes, but it is absolutely vital that you realize this before you start. This is as much a challenge, as it…

Who do you respect more? Someone with a Seiko 5 or someone with a fake Rolex? Perhaps a silly question, but think about it. Many will probably respect the person with the Rolex more, until they found out that its a fake. I am convinced that for many people who buy fake watches, this is exactly the reason why they do it. To gain respect based on something that is not real, and that is the hallmark of a loser. [caption id="attachment_1528" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie has been battling fake watches for years[/caption] Why? Well, first of all when people need to respect you based on the watch you wear, you must have a horrible personality! People that wear fake watches, say that they don't wear…

Swatch is one of those brands that seems to deliver when its parent company is struggling with difficult markets for its more high end brands. Unfortunately that time is also now, and that is why the latest addition to the Swatch line-up, the Sistem51 Irony, is probably more important than most people realize. The Sistem51 in steel is basically a watch many of us have been waiting for. Thanks to the very innovative movement, this is a Swatch that not only appeals to the brands regular consumer pool, but also to watch collectors who usually buy more upscale brands. People that normally wear an Omega, Tudor or Bell & Ross around the wrist, have often a hard time getting used to the feel of plastic on the wrist, so the…

This year there must have been a record, with so many micro watch brands launching crowd funding campaigns, the majority of them even for the very first time. Many of them even get successfully funded, but the question remains: when is the market saturated? On crowd funding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, the majority of the watch brands that launch offer watches between US$100,- and US$600,-. When brands go higher, you really need to have something special to offer (and make some additional noise to get people on the platform that normally wouldn't shop there). When brands go lower, they often target the more fashionable consumers. Watch collectors and connoisseurs can only spend their money once, and that makes it continuously more difficult for new brands to have a successful…